The Daily

Assessing Biden’s Climate Plan

Episode Summary

President Biden’s plans for curbing the most devastating impacts of a changing climate are ambitious. His administration is not only planning a sharp U-turn from the previous White House — former President Donald Trump openly mocked the science behind human-caused climate change — but those aims go even further than the Obama administration’s. Today, we look at the Biden administration’s environmental proposals, as well as the potential roadblocks and whether these changes can last.

Episode Notes

President Biden’s plans for curbing the most devastating impacts of a changing climate are ambitious.

His administration is not only planning a sharp U-turn from the previous White House — former President Donald Trump openly mocked the science behind human-caused climate change — but those aims go even further than the Obama administration’s.

Today, we look at the Biden administration’s environmental proposals, as well as the potential roadblocks and whether these changes can last.

Guest: Coral Davenport, an energy and environmental policy reporter for The New York Times. 

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Background reading: 

• President Biden, emphasizing job creation, has signed an array of directives that elevate climate change across every level of the federal government. But huge hurdles, some from within his own party, lie ahead.
• On taking office, Mr. Biden brought with him the largest team of climate change experts ever assembled in the White House.
• The Biden administration’s ambitions could mean big changes in America’s trade, foreign relations and even defense strategy.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.